Richland

Understand

Richland and the greater Tri-Cities region were developed as one of the secret sites of the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s. The atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 contained plutonium produced at the Hanford Nuclear Site, surrounding the world's first full-scale nuclear reactor. Today, the nuclear site has changed its mission from plutonium enrichment to environmental clean up and restoration. The city is home to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a large national research lab.

Getting there

By car Richland's central business district is immediately off of Interstate 182 (I-182) at Exit 5, George Washington Way. The Tri-Cities are close to each other but a long way from anyone else: expect at least a 75-minute drive from Yakima, 3.5 hours from Seattle.

By air Tri-Cities Airport (PSC IATA) is in Pasco, roughly 10 mi (16 km) east of Richland. There are daily flights from Seattle/Tacoma, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Getting around

Ben Franklin Transit, ☏ +1 509 735-5100. M-F 6AM-6PM; Sa 8AM-6PM. Operates fixed route buses within the Tri Cities area and to Benton City, West Richland and Prosser. $1.50 cash fare. (updated Sep 2025)

See

1 The Reach Museum, 1943 Columbia Park Trail, ☏ +1 509-943-4100. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM. In summer, also Su noon-4:30PM. Adults $10, seniors/students/military $6, children 5 and under free. (updated Feb 2018) 2 LIGO Hanford Observatory (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory), 127124 N Rt 10, ☏ +1 509-372-8106, [email protected]. Visitor Center: Tu-F 9:30AM-4PM. Public walking tours: 2nd Saturday of each month. a 4-km-by-4-km gravitational wave detector, measuring the minute ripples in space-time caused by cataclysmic cosmic events such as colliding neutron stars, black holes, and supernovae. Free. (updated Jun 2024)

Do

1 Richland Players Theater, 608 The Parkway, ☏ +1 509-943-1991, [email protected]. (updated Sep 2025) 2 Tri-City Raceway (Red Mountain Event Center), 47615 E SR 224, Benton City, ☏ +1 509-845-5510, [email protected]. The only 0.500 mi (0.805 km) paved trioval in North America. (updated Sep 2025)

Hanford Nuclear Site

Established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project, the site is home to the B Reactor, the first full-scale plutonium production reactor in the world. Plutonium manufactured at the site was used in the bomb dropped at Nagasaki. During the Cold War, the project expanded to include nine nuclear reactors and five large plutonium processing complexes, which produced plutonium for most of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The production reactors were shut down between 1964 and 1971. Many early safety procedures and waste disposal practices were inadequate, resulting in the release of significant amounts of radioactive materials into the air and the Columbia River. Hanford became the focus of the nation's largest environmental cleanup, with over 10,000 workers employed on cleanup activities. Hanford also hosts a commercial nuclear power plant and various centers for scientific research and development, such as the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Fast Flux Test Facility, and the LIGO Hanford Observatory. As Hanford is still an active research and industrial cleanup site, the only public access is through guided tours. Tours are infrequent and capacity is limited, so reservations should be made months in advance.

3 Hanford Site Cleanup Tours, 2490 Garlick Blvd, ☏ +1 509-376-6969. Apr-Nov: M-Sa. Four-hour tours of the Hanford Nuclear Site focusing on Hanford's current cleanup projects. Stops include a model waste storage tank used to develop cleanup techniques (the Cold Test Facility), the 200 West Pump and Treat facility (cleaning contaminated groundwater), and the Waste Treatment Plant construction zone. Reservations required on a first c

Buy

Adventures Underground, 1391 George Washington Way, ☏ +1 509-946-9893. Books, comics, games, hobby supplies, records, and a cafe. (updated Sep 2025)

Eat

Apollo Authentic Greek Restaurant, 620 Cullum Ave. (Located by Lee Blvd.), ☏ +1 509-943-9841. Apollo offers a wide variety of fine Greek cuisine. Take-out is available. Monterosso’s Italian Restaurant, 1026 Lee Blvd, ☏ +1 509-946-4525. Lunch Tu-F 11AM-2PM, dinner M-Th 5-9PM, dinner F Sa 5-10PM. Italian restaurant in an antique railroad dining car. Spudnuts Donut, 228 Williams Ave (Uptown Shopping Center). M-F 4AM-6PM, Sa 4AM-4PM. Sterling's Restaurant, 890 George Washington Way. There is an all-you-can-eat or single trip salad bar, several soups prepared daily, and a wide and impressive menu featuring appetizers, fresh omelets (breakfast and dinner), steak, seafood, chicken, pasta, salads, burgers, and a kid's menu with shrimp, chicken fingers, french fries and fruit. Beer, wine, and spirits are on the drink menu. There is a newer branch at 2500 Queensgate Dr. (updated Mar 2016)

Drink & nightlife

Atomic Ale Brewpub, 1015 Lee Blvd, ☏ +1 509-946-5465. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 11AM-8PM. One of the only microbreweries in the area, this brewpub features such locally famous brews as Half-Life Hefeweizen, Atomic Amber and Plutonium Porter. The eatery features gourmet wood-fired pizzas. Whiskey River Bar & Grill, 775 Goethals Drive, ☏ +1 509-943 1971. 10AM - 2AM. Working class dive bar, with indoor/outdoor seating, some live music (classic rock, traditional country) and periodic karaoke. (updated Mar 2022)

Sleep

Richland doesn't have a large supply of hotels, and many of its travelers are on business at the Lab. As a result, hotels can unexpectedly book out at any time of the year. Kennewick's hotels are generally quite convenient to Richland as well, Pasco somewhat less so.

Courtyard Richland Columbia Point, 480 Columbia Point Dr, ☏ +1 509-942-9400, fax: +1 509 942-9401. Hampton Inn, 486 Bradley Blvd., ☏ +1 509-943-4400. The budget end of the Hilton empire, it's a classic business hotel: nothing fancy, but the facilities are well maintained and the staff helpful. Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 1970 Center Parkway, ☏ +1 509-737-8000. Holiday Inn Richland on the River, 802 George Washington Way, ☏ +1 509-946-7611. The building is passing through dated and wrapping all the way back around to retro - don't overlook the long curving hallway, or the pickled wood ceilings on the upper floor. Otherwise, a standard midrange hotel. Rates are on the high side for what you get. 1 The Lodge at Columbia Point, 530 Columbia Point Dr, ☏ +1 509-713-7423, toll-free: +1-844-200-8641, [email protected]. (updated Dec 2019)